How to let the large public know about the xprize community. Posted on: Wed Dec 24, 2003 9:58 pm

I don't have the answer on this question.

But I made this topic to ask ALL other people to reply with their ideas.

The ideas I know from others and from myself are:

1) Post a small message in large forums, in off-topic sections an information topic about the x-prize.
2) Add in other forums are signature, and add in your signature an x-prize link (including one to this forum).
3) tell your friends about the x-prize
4) the software project this community is planning to make
5) the board game

The primary way people learn about anything new is thru television. Of course radio, newspaper, internet may provide significant support, but TV is king.

What can you do? Well, in your area, call the local television stations with news broadcasts and ask the following:

1. Name and email of Assignment Editor (person who decides what news to cover)
2. Were they aware of the first private supersonic flight on Dec. 17, 2003 and the effort to launch a private space vehicle?
3. Do they have an interest in covering the first private space launch? Would they like to receive notices from XPRIZE, the organization promoting private space flights? If they say yes, then offer to send them url, http://www.xprize.org/press/press_room.html , to register for press alerts from directly from XPRIZE.

If you have an XPRIZE team in your area, contact them and ask if they would like some local television coverage. Offer them the list Assignment Editors of the local TV stations.

This is actually quite easy, and you will meet some very interesting people.

Speaking of education, maybe my new X PRIZE card game could be useful in this respect. Check it out at the new discussion topic I just set up, under general X PRIZE news (you'll have to e-mail me at centurion509@aol.com for a copy).

Great ideas all. I believe that every little bit helps, it is all about social inertia.

In fact I am adding x-prize to my other forum sigs. In addition I live in a small town, small papers often need a little more content. This is an indusrial area I'm sure there is a local connection somewhere. In fact I think if the x-prize helps this industry of the ground it will touch all our lives very quickly.

I sent a comment to the BBC Assiststant Science and Nature editor ( or something similar )

And he said they dont give it much coverage because only a couple of teams are actually going anywhere, and that only one team is going to get into space, and gave me a link to Spaceship1.

Remember that the BBC is a pro-government organization. Private efforts in space do not naturally excite them. However, their statement that only one team is going to get into space should come back to bite them. When SpaceShipOne and let's say Starchaser put people in space, the BBC should be reminded that they abdicated their public responsibility to cover human efforts, especially British human efforts to expand the vision of human possibilities

Ditto for PBS. Unless of course, they prove me wrong. I would love to be wrong in this case.

I created a powerpoint presentation for one of my classes, which highlights each of the xprize teams on 1-2 slides each. (it's 40 slides, 25mb + a couple of small music files). Any advice as to where I could send this to help with promotion? Would it fit on the xprize site? (would they want it?)
Thanks,
binarysunrise

Remember that the BBC is a pro-government organization. Private efforts in space do not naturally excite them. However, their statement that only one team is going to get into space should come back to bite them. When SpaceShipOne and let's say Starchaser put people in space, the BBC should be reminded that they abdicated their public responsibility to cover human efforts, especially British human efforts to expand the vision of human possibilities

Starchaser usually get coverage on local BBC tv news so the Beeb will no doubt have all the footage they need when starchaser reach space hopefully some time next year...

In this day and age, it seems as if Ebay is the standard with which to measure what captivates the interests of the online world. So with that in mind, it is sad to realize that there are only 2 "X Prize" related items and 6 items for SpaceShipOne curently listed on Ebay.

Is it possible to list more memorabilia on Ebay? Could we suggest that the other teams that have online stores allow some to be sold elsewhere under an Xprize banner?

While I was reading all the posts to your subject, Sigurd, I was remembering the story "Return to Tiber" Buzz Aldrin has been co-author of.

In this story there is an evolution driven by events quite similar to the XPRIZE.

My idea based on this fact: Try the XPRIZE to be mentioned in the short abstract on the back of the books cover beginning the next edition. Perhaps Mr. Aldrin will assist you. This way many of the SF-fans reading "Return to Tiber" will be informed that there is the XPRIZE.

Additionally the very realistic SF from Ben Bova might be a way to take the XPRIZE to the public.